This article focused on the MBA program’s mission of yesteryear to “produce far-sighted leaders who can help the economy run better.” In 2007, before the signs of the recession took hold, that seemed like a valid goal. I am grateful to be slightly removed from the era of heavy emphasis on investment banking and consulting with (as Lindsay’s links showed) a new focus on social entrepreneurship.

I am enjoying York’s (first quarter taught at Cal Poly) entrepreneurship course and wish I could take more courses like it. Lancaster’s sustainability focus is interesting, but, frankly, should be its own course instead of an accounting tag-along. What will the academic electives of 2012 look like? I have to say that I look forward to seeing the curriculum change with the times.

I almost feel like I am getting my MBA a little too early, as I would love to see what the future holds… I should be so lucky to have my MBA degree require lifelong continuing education (paid for by my future employer, of course!) with new courses in SEO, Sustainability, IPO Preparation, Software Development, Financial Crisis Management, or whatever else proves to be relevant as the times change!

I recently attended a dinner at Dr. Carr’s house, and he spoke about another faculty as a transcendent leader, who only comes along every now and then. Do I want to make money? Sure. Do I want to gain power and respect? Of course. Do I want to be successful to the point that I can give back to the things that matter the most to me? Absolutely. But most of all, I want people to say, wow. I loved working with / for him. He demonstrated great foresight, and did great things for a great many people. Most importantly that he did things with ethics and integrity.

Can business school teach me any or all of these things? Perhaps not. But it certainly cannot hurt.

It is my belief that the mindset of having students enter “high-paying finance and consulting jobs without caring about… broader roles in society” rests more in the minds of individual students. Some students have the mindset that they want to go into one of these jobs. That is fine. Others are looking to go into nonprofit work or other completely unrelated directions. Next year I will be embarking on a course far different than any of my classmates by enrolling in a four-year Doctor of Dental Surgery program.

My point is this: the students are the ones graduating from the business schools and choosing these career paths. If the schools want a different image, they should alter their admissions criteria and accept different students. Once I graduate with my MBA degree, I will have the same ambitions and goals I had upon beginning the program. The only difference is that I will have a much broader understanding of business administration and management, and the keys it takes to succeed in a business environment (something fewer of my dental peers will possess).

Assuming CA$H CAB is correct (and how could it not be), it kind of falls right in line with this article and gives more insight into why our economy is the shape it is today. Maybe business students are driven too much by selfish purposes and not the greater good of the economy. Maybe there should be some changes made to MBA programs that can help future leaders be more concerned about how they personally can shape the economy for the better. I know that this hasn’t been a focus in my MBA program. But at the same time, I haven’t been taught the fastest path to riches either.

This article was written over two years ago and the economy has only gotten worse since it was written, so I’m curious what Professor Khurana came up with at Harvard and if those changes will trickle down to Cal Poly. I did like his idea of certification and lifelong CE to make the MBA more professional oriented like a law or medical degree. The economy is one of the hardest things that we have to deal with as Americans right now and anything that can be done in the “training ground” for corporate leaders that can help the future of the economy sounds like a good start.

There certainly are a lot of B-school graduates whose primary objective is to land a high-power, high-profile, high-dollar positions- but law schools and med schools have a similar demographic. My two cents is that maybe it’s not the B-schools that are the problem. Maybe the problem simply lies in where we as a society place our premium- in the finance sector, in corporate law and litigation, in specialty medicine and treatments, etc. Who of you would turn down a six-figure salary in your ideal vocation? Not me!

It is a narrow critique to single out B-schools as notorious for producing increasingly “selfish” graduates. In my last few quarters at OCOB, I have met a large number of very altruistic, creative, and talented students, who I believe have an above-average social conscience. I also have quite a few friends pursuing their MBAs at Ivy Leagues whose sole ambition and measure of success is landing a high-profile executive and finance jobs. Ultimately it’s a personal choice, but I have yet to meet an old man or woman who at the end of his or her life said, “Yeah…I was very powerful and made a lot of money. So glad I got my MBA.” I have yet to hear of a person being honored and remembered for having a six- or seven-figure salary.

The people we remember are those who create, think, innovate, initiate and foster lasting change, and improve the condition of the world. It is the graduate, as much as it is the institution and the society, who must take responsibility for the character of people it produces.